


to new years and fresh starts

by coldwinterrose



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Because canon is just a suggestion, Celebrations, Even the people who didn't, Everybody Lives, Fluff, Gen, Kissing, M/M, New Year's Eve, post-Avengers: Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 06:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17278928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldwinterrose/pseuds/coldwinterrose
Summary: Steve and Bucky come together with their friends, old and new, to celebrate the first new year's after their victory over Thanos.





	to new years and fresh starts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cpt_winniethepooh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cpt_winniethepooh/gifts).



> Here's my gift for cpt_winniethepooh for the Captain America Secret Santa! I was not their original secret santa, but when I saw the blog needed volunteers to give gifts to people who hadn't yet gotten one, I decided why not and volunteered. I hope you like it!
> 
> I'd like to thank [lecroixss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lecroixss/pseuds/lecroixss), [mortenavida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortenavida/pseuds/mortenavida), and my beta reader [Pineau_noir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineau_noir/pseuds/Pineau_noir) for all the help! I would not have got this done without all of you! <3

Bucky’s eyes widened, taking in the truly amazing sight of the Avenger's compound as he and Steve drove up. Almost as impressive was just how filled the parking lot was. When Tony said he was inviting everyone to ring in the new year, he’d clearly meant _everybody_. Cars were parked everywhere, and even the spaceship of the self-proclaimed _Guardians of the Galaxy_ was sitting on the lawn.

Steve let out a whistle as he pulled off his helmet. “Oh wow. Tony really wasn’t kidding. You gonna be okay Buck?”

He nodded. “I think I can handle a little party, Steve. I’ll be fine, promise.” While he still wasn’t quite as fond of crowds as he used to be, this was different. He knew most, if not all the people inside, and he would trust them with his life. Hell, technically he had, since he and half the population of the universe would still be trapped if not for all of them. 

Steve smiled and gave Bucky a soft kiss. “Well, just in case, let me know if you need a break. I think my rooms are still free if you need a few minutes alone.”

“I will. Now come on, let’s go in and say hi to everyone,” he said as he took Steve’s hand and led them inside.

FRIDAY guided them to what looked like a hanger converted into a party area. Large sofas and chairs lined the walls, and there were tables filled with refreshments and food. Tasteful decorations dotted the room, probably Pepper’s doing. Tony would have most likely gone with something much, much more loud and ostentatious. 

As soon as they walked in they were greeted by Tony. “Hey Steve, Bucky! You made it! You’re the last ones here, go pull up a chair, couch, whatever your preference. Help yourself to whatever, the table on the end there is reserved for _enhanced_ individuals. Thor brought some of the first casks of the mead brewed on New Asgard. According to him its extra strong.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “New Asgard. Is that what its called?”

Tony shrugged. “They haven’t settled on a name yet, apparently, but it's close enough.” He glanced over Steve shoulder, distracted by something. “Gotta go, Pep needs something. Go mingle, everyone’s missed you guys,” he said as he wandered away to whatever Pepper needed.

Bucky looked over at Steve. “What do you wanna do first? Go for the food or the booze?’

“Let’s maybe save the alcohol for later in the evening. I’ve tried Thor’s stuff, it's not something you want to have too much of, trust me.”

“Noted. Food it is then.”

The sheer amount of food was truly impressive. It was clear Tony had spared no expense. There were a few items Bucky didn’t recognize. He walked over to one such item, a bright orange goopy looking substance, and poked at it with a serving spoon.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“What _is_ this?”

Steve, who had been loading up on chicken wings, looked over. “Um… no idea. Maybe something on of the Guardians brought? Or Carol maybe?”

“It's a dessert,” a voice came from Bucky’s left, startling him. He looked over and saw Gamora, which explained it. She was among the only people in the universe who could sneak up on him like that. He was happy she was a friend and ally; he wouldn’t want to go up against her in a fight. “Its sweet, you’ll like it. It's sort of like…” she paused, trying to think of how to describe it. “Chocolate, I think you call it? It tastes like that. Or, that's what Peter says at least.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up and he put a spoonful on his plate. Chocolate was one of his favorite things, and if she was right, he would _definitely_ love it. “Gotcha, thanks.”

“Of course. When you have a second the others want to say hi. Groot’s especially missed you,” she said before making her way back to her friends.

During his time in the soul stone, he’d gotten to know the other Guardians who’d also been trapped. It had apparently been a special punishment for those who stood against Thanos. Little did he know that would backfire. If not for that mistake, they might not have succeeded. He shook his head and forced himself back to the present. The fact was they _were_ victorious, and they were all here, alive and well, about to bring in the new year together. 

Once their plates were full of food, he and Steve made their way to a group of couches where their friends were waiting for them. Natasha got up from where she was curled up on the couch and greeted both him and Steve with kisses on the cheeks. “Hey, took you guys long enough to get over here. I thought you were gonna end up taking an entire table with you. Each.”

“Funny, Nat,” Steve said as they sat down, placing their plates on the small table in front of them.

“Where’s Scott? I thought he said he was joining us?” Bucky asked as he took a bite of food and settled into Steve’s side.

“Tomorrow,” Sam answered, taking a sip of a brightly colored drink. “He wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with his kid and Hope. And you know how Hank feels about Tony, so that wasn’t exactly an option.”

They both nodded. Though Tony and Hank were working on healing the rift that had occurred between their families, they weren’t quite there yet. It was for the best for all involved to hold off on celebrating holidays together until things were better. 

“What about you Sam? I thought for sure your mom would want you to celebrate with your family.”

“I told her she could have Christmas or New Years. She chose Christmas. Which, hey, I’m not complaining, Tony really knows how to throw a party.”

“He certainly did go all out. I don’t remember it being this big the last holiday I spent here,” Wanda said, from where she sat curled up in Vision’s lap. That had been a true miracle: saving Vision. It had taken the combined efforts of Tony, Shuri, Bruce, andLoki,of all people, but they’d managed to find a way to salvage both Vision’s body as well as his personality. Granted he didn’t have all the powers he had when he was in possession of the mind stone, but he was still a formidable fighter and more intelligent than anyone else on Earth.

“I think it's a combination of things, but mostly he’s celebrating the fact we’re all alive. It was very touch-and-go for a while there after all,” Natasha said, throwing a small glare at Steve, who looked sheepish.

“Hey, let’s not focus on who almost did what, let’s focus on the fact that it all worked out.”

Bucky rolled his eyes but gave Steve a kiss on the cheek. He’d heard about the harebrained stunt Steve tried to pull to bring them back. Thankfully Tony and Scott came through at the last second with a better option, one that meant no one needed to sacrifice themselves. 

They spent the next hour or so catching up with everyone until they’d both finished their plates and decided it would be a good idea to mingle for a bit. 

Their first stop was the Guardians, who were chatting with Thor. “Groot! Hey! You’ve grown!”

“I am Groot,” Groot said as he leaned down to hug Bucky. “I am Groot,” he turned to Steve and held out a branch for Steve to shake, an odd little ritual between the two them.

“Hey Groot,” Steve said back as he took the branch and gave it a careful squeeze hello. 

“I am Groot!”

“He says _happy new year_ , though I don’t think he quite gets the concept,” Rocket translated from his perch on Groot’s shoulder. “How’re you guys doing? That arm holding up okay there?”

“We’re fine, and yes it is. And you still can’t have it.”

“Oh, I’ll find a way. Just wait and see; you’ll let your guard down eventually.”

“Not a chance,” he laughed. At this point, he was mostly sure Rocket wasn’t serious. But only mostly. 

“Steve! Bucky! How are you?” Thor asked as he embraced them both in greeting. “I hope the end of the year is finding you well?”

“It is Thor, thanks,” Steve smiled. “How about you? Tony mentioned you brought some stuff from the settlement you’ve set up?”

“Yes! The first batches of mead and beer! Some of the finest stuff, possibly even better than that created on Asgard. Have you had a chance to try it already?”

“Not yet, but we will.”

“Good! Let me know what you think.”

“How is everything? I’m surprised you and Loki both decided to make an appearance, I’d assumed one of you would stay behind to look after your people,” Bucky asked.

“Heimdall and Valkyrie are taking the duty up for a few days. They felt we needed a break, and Loki agreed. I was no match against the three of them, so here we are.”

“Well, I’m glad. It’s not the same without you here,” Steve said.

“Hey,” Bucky waved to the rest of the group, while Steve and Thor started to chat and catch up with each other.

“Hey Bucky,” Peter greeted. He had an arm wrapped around Gamora, who in turn was relaxed into his side. When they first met, Peter had been almost starstruck. Apparently he’d been a fan of his when he was a child. Thankfully that had faded quickly. Bucky still wasn’t quite sure how to act around people who looked up to him like that, it made him vaguely uncomfortable, given everything.

“Bucky! It is so nice to see you at the ending of the year!” Drax said loudly as he took a sip from a bottle of what looked like beer, but not any brand Bucky recognized. He wasn’t sure the label was in any language known on Earth, once he took a closer look at it.

“Yes! It is so exciting to see the year turn over! I’ve never experienced anything like it before!” Mantis said with her upbeat usual energy. 

“Don’t expect too much,” Bucky cautioned. “We mostly just count down and cheer when the clock turned midnight. Not much more to it than that.”

“So far I like this tradition,” Drax said. “You Earthlings sure know how to throw a party.”

“Heh, thanks. That’s just Tony though. Parties are his thing.”

“Oh! We should go thank Tony!” Mantis suggested. “We have not done that yet.”

“Yes! Let us go thank Tony for this fine celebration!”

Steve glanced over as he watched the two slightly stagger as they wandered off to find Tony. “What just happened?”

“I think they’re going to go thank the host.”

“Ah.”

“We'll follow them, make sure they stay out of trouble. Come on Peter,” Gamora said, taking him by the arm and pulling him after Drax and Mantis.

“Hey, okay, I’m coming! Talk to you later Bucky!”

Bucky gave a small wave to Gamora and Peter, and let Steve know he was going to mingle some more, leaving him to his conversation with Thor with a quick peck to the cheek in farewell.

He waved at Loki and Nebula as he passed them as they were talking in the corner. He would have gone over to say hi to Nebula, since they’d formed a tight friendship after he learned that they shared a similar past, but the pair looked to be having a very deep conversation, and he didn’t want to interrupt.

The rest of the evening was spent at least saying hi to everyone in attendance, before meeting back up with Steve and settling back on the couch where they’d started. They relaxed and chatted with their friends, and once it hit five minutes to midnight, FRIDAY put up a projection of the ball in Times Square.

Bucky was curled against Steve, both nursing glasses of the Asgardian mead. Steve hadn’t been kidding; it was strong stuff. He was already feeling a pleasant buzz, something he hadn’t enjoyed in far, far too long. Steve pressed a kiss to his forehead as Tony stepped on a small dais. 

“Hey, I was wondering if I can get everyone’s attention for a second?” He waited for the low thrum of chatter to quiet down before continuing. “Thanks. First, I wanted to thank everyone for being here tonight. The past couple years… well…. To say they weren’t easy is putting it mildly. But we did what we always do. We fought, and we won. Now we stand here, the first new year’s after that victory, alive, and most importantly together. Which isn’t something we’ve always managed to do. But we’re healing, and we’re here. And I for one would like to propose a toast. To the new year and fresh starts.” Once everyone raised their glass and echoed the toast, Tony continued. “And, would you look at that, we’ve got just a few seconds to go.”

Everyone stood, excitement thrumming as they counted down the clock. Once it hit midnight, the classic _Auld Lang Syne_ sounded out of the speakers as Bucky and Steve turned to each other and shared sweet, mead flavored kisses.

It was the best way Bucky could think to bring in the new year, in the arms of the man he loved as his friends, his _family,_ celebrated. Steve clearly shared the sentiment as they separated for a second to take it all in, before he leaned back in, whispering, “happy new year,” as his lips met Bucky’s again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
